This invention relates generally to beds and more particularly to powered adjustable beds. Adjustable beds have been used for many years to permit the user to adjust the head and foot sections of the bed to different positions. While originally only manually adjustable, more recently, the head and foot sections are moved by motors operated by the user via a remote control.
Adjustable beds were originally designed principally for use in medical environments by patients who had to spend long periods of time in bed for reasons of health, injury, etc. However, more recently, adjustable beds are also being used in residential environments by users who have no health or physical impairment. An increasing number of people place televisions and other media based entertainment devices in the bedroom, and more time is spent lounging in bed. Hence, the bed, and in particular an adjustable bed, is considered by many users an alternative piece of leisure furniture. As the market for leisure beds grows, there is continuing effort by suppliers to provide leisure beds that are more comfortable, have more options, for example, massage capabilities, have more sophisticated controls, and are more affordable.
One recent development in adjustable beds is the development of a "wallhugger" adjustable bed. The function of a wallhugger adjustable bed is to maintain the user in the same position with respect to adjacent appliances and furniture as the head portion of the bed is moved between flat and elevated positions. To achieve that purpose, as the head section pivots upward, an upper bed frame portion translates toward the head end of the bed with respect to a stationary lower bed frame section. One example of such a bed is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,280. There are numerous complexities in known adjustable bed designs. For example, referring to FIG. 11 of the '280 patent, the motors 92, 96 have respective drive shafts extending under the head and thigh sections, respectively. Thus, when the head and thigh sections are elevated, the motor shafts and elevation linkage are visible. In addition, referring to FIG. 5 of the '280 patent, torque tube 182 rotates about a pivot point 180. That swinging or rotating of torque tube 182 about a point noncoincident with its centerline requires a relatively complex and expensive structure. Further referring to FIGS. 3 and 1 of the '280 patent, links 264 are pivotally connected to brackets 271 which are rigidly connected to side rails 154. Such a construction creates undesirable or torsional forces at the extreme ends of the side rails 154. The '280 patent also discloses in FIGS. 17-19, a mechanism by which the upper frame is translated on the lower frame. The mechanism includes upper and lower wheels that capture a horizontal track mounted on the lower frame.
Thus, there is a need to provide a wallhugger bed which is simpler in construction and less expensive without compromising the comfort, support and utility to the user.
Known adjustable beds further include sophisticated controls that provide a user with many features that facilitate the user's control of the bed. For example, known bed controls include a position set push button which permits the user to store a combination of head and foot positions that define a favorite bed configuration. In addition, the control includes a favorite position button which, when pressed, automatically moves the bed to the stored favorite head and foot positions previously selected by the user. In addition, with known systems, the position set push button, in addition to storing the selected head and foot positions, also stores the selected speed of the head and foot vibrator motors. Thus, when the favorite position button is depressed, not only does the bed move to the stored favorite position but the vibrator motors operate at the stored speed. Thus, known bed controls provide no facility for independently selecting and storing a favorite vibrator motor setting. Thus, there is a need to provide further control enhancements which permit the user to store and recall favorite vibrator motor settings independent of bed position.